


In The Words of a Romantic

by CheckersXIV



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: 5+1 Things, Confessions, Fluff, Found Family, Idiots in Love, Kinda, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-14 19:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15395451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheckersXIV/pseuds/CheckersXIV
Summary: Somewhere along the way of all that searching and hoping and praying that his friend was somewhere out there, Sora may have or may not have come to the conclusion that he was definitely in love with his best friend. Things had definitely changed, both of them growing up and older. But somethings stayed the same.-Or Five times Riku more or less tells Sora he loves him and the first of many that Sora tells him.





	1. Two Become One

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the discord group, Y'all know who you are. Major thanks to Robin for being my beta, you rock.  
> -  
> The First chapter is set post KH2, before the secret ending. This is just the set up for the fic, the 5+1 is still incoming.  
> 

For all his work in dealing with hearts and setting them free, Sora wouldn't say he's much of a romantic. He slings around his keyblade, kicks some ass, and then poof there goes the heart. At the start of his journey, he didn't give much thought to it. Donald would argue he didn't think much to begin with. Then the Organization began stealing those heart and he could to nothing but watch as pink sunset colored hearts he had freed be enveloped in darkness.

  
It's different now.

He's often wondered where they go, now that The World That Never Was is gone along with the man-made Kingdom Hearts comprised of all his hard work. Maybe they return to the real Kingdom Hearts. Or perhaps they go back to their Nobody, assuming it's strong enough, and they finally get relief from that ache of nothingness that resides in side of them. They could dissolve into light. Or they could fade into darkness.

  
Or maybe the heart goes to be reunited to those it's touched. Like when Kairi's heart was within him during the Night of Fate for the Islands. Or how like she was able to call out to his when he was a heartless. Or like how they both could see Riku's heart when he was still cloaked in Ansem's darkness. The three of them, their hearts, share an unbreakable connection.

  
_What would happen to my heart then?_

  
The ocean gives him no answer from his spot at the paopu tree other than the sound of lazy waves. He has looked death in the eyes so many times; brutality and danger are no foreign concept to him. So, he doesn't quite know what would happen to his heart if he died. Who it would go to, if it would go to anyone at all. Sora frowns; maybe the hearts of Keyblade wielders are different but he wasn't too willing to find out.

  
"Hey." He gives a start, and looks up to find Riku staring at him through his long bangs.

  
Sora grins up at him, "Hey yourself!"

  
Riku stares, "What's wrong?" _Ah, figures._ Bonded hearts and all that jazz.

  
"Oh just, ya know, thinking."

  
"That's never a good sign."

  
"Ha. Have you become a comedian now too?"

  
"No, that job still belongs to you."

  
_"Hilarious."_

  
Riku settles for leaning on the tree next to him, facing the ocean. It's Sora's turn to stare for a minute. Well, okay, he's actually been constantly staring at him ever since arriving back to the islands. Sora knows that he doesn't look the same anymore, he might still be shorter than Riku, but he's beginning to grow into his lanky limbs and what-not.

  
Riku looks almost like a brand new person. It wasn't like Riku wasn't attractive to Sora before their story started. His taste in clothing _definitely_ got better. But somewhere along the way of all that searching and hoping and praying that his friend was somewhere out there, he may have or may not have come to the conclusion that he was definitely in love with his best friend. Not that he would ever say it out loud.

 Loving someone romantically is supposed to be a big commitment. But Sora was at least 99% sure that this was love, not some crush. Kairi had been a crush. She had given him butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, and had him panicking over saying the wrong thing. Finding Riku was like coming home, a warm smile, clicking that last piece of the puzzle into place . He still made his heart race, that stayed the same, but it was when he laughed or when he just stayed near Sora. It was different, he was different.

  
But he was still Riku.

  
"So you gonna tell me what's got you looking so serious?"

  
Sora looks back out the sea, "Mmm, well, it's just a thought." Riku waits for him to continue.

  
"You know the hearts that we free?"

  
"Yeah?"

  
"I was thinking about what happens to them once they are free."

  
"...huh." Riku frowns a bit himself, "I'm not too sure about that either. I guess that they would fade?"

  
"Well, I mean, I was thinking it over and thought that maybe the hearts go back to be with ones they've touched."

  
Now Riku looks up at him, "What do you mean?"

  
"Like, you know uh, if there is a strong enough connection between hearts then, it makes sense that a heart would find its way to them. Even if it is just for a moment."

  
"...You sound like you've thought about this a lot."

  
"Yeah," Sora's voice grows soft, "I have. I was actually thinking about my own heart just now. If keyblade wielders hearts would do that, or if they just dissolve into light."

  
Sora's thought about a lot. He's thought about Riku looking out for him on his travels, leaving clues and items to keep him safe. About Riku facing the organization alone for a year to keep him safe. About Riku sacrificing his body to, again, keep him safe. Riku has done a lot more than what Sora thinks falls under the umbrella of friendship. He doesn't want to lose Riku again, and he knows Riku feels the same to an extent. Maybe just as much.

It's that _maybe_ that allows Sora to take a deep breath and continue.

  
"I've thought about, if it doesn't fade, where it would go." Sora's face is warming up from something that isn't the sun's rays. He slides off the tree, landing next to Riku.

  
"Who it would go to." He can feel that nervous feeling bubbling up, and that small maybe suddenly feels like it might not be enough. But he's always been one to charge head into things. He looks at Riku, who hasn't spoken back to him and is just staring. He feels vaguely nauseous, but maintains eye contact.

"I-I...My heart, would go to you Riku."

  
Sora can't hear anything over the pounding of his own heart. The adrenaline rushing through his system is like when he's just fought his way through several waves of enemies. Except this time he doesn't know what to brace for because Riku is still just staring.

  
Then he blinks, and Sora has seen Riku with a sunburn but he has _never_ seen Riku get quite this red. Then suddenly Riku turns around, rests his face in the bark of the tree.

  
"Uh, Riku?" Sora leans closer.

  
He gets muffled laughter, "I never pegged you for a romantic Sora."

  
Sora feels anxiety slip in, just for a moment. And then Riku turns to look at him, and wow, his breath leaves him as he really feels his heart squeeze. There's a big smile, a soft one, on Riku's face that goes really well with the blush he is sporting and really he shouldn't have a right to be this attractive.

"I really like you," the words are tumbling out before his brain can catch up. "You're special to me Riku, and I've seen what life without you is like. I don't want to go through that again. And, I think, I- I hope, that you feel the same."

  
"Sora..."

  
"If you don't t-then, I-I understand-"

  
And then Sora stops talking because he is being enveloped in a crushing hug. For a moment there he feels weightless. He can't see anything but the blue sky above him. Maybe this is what falling in love feels like.

  
Wait.

  
Sky. Above. Falling.

  
_Wait._

  
He's snapped out of whatever daze he's in as he and Riku hit the water surrounding the mini island with a resounding smack. The refreshing waters drench him instantly. Only years of reflex have taught him to not inhale the sea water. Then just as suddenly, Sora is being hoisted upright.

  
" -ora!" He's coughing for just a second and takes another to get his surroundings. Riku has his forearms clutched and is keeping them afloat in the water. His hair is dripping wet and bangs swept back and, god damn he really shouldn't look this hot but-

  
"Did you just fucking tackle hug us into the ocean?"

  
Riku's looks mortified. "I, uh, got really excited."

  
Sora stares at him, and he can't help it, the first giggle sneaks its way out and then he can't breathe because he's laughing so hard. His heart feels like it's home.

  
Riku is laughing with him and then he's being pulled forward into another hug. And it's so much harder to stay afloat but somehow Riku is strong enough to do it. _Of course he is._ They kick each other only once before they find a rhythm, falling in time together like it's second nature. They're so caught up in each other they just stay that way laughing until the giggles die down.

Then it's just them and the waves and Sora really can't be bothered to let go of Riku right now. His arms somehow wound up around Riku's neck, chin resting on his shoulder, and it's the most comfortable that Sora has felt in years.

  
It's okay that Riku never explicitly said he likes him too. Riku's too emotionally constipated to say what he's feeling clearly. But Riku's actions speak as loud as the words he wishes he could hear as Riku tightens his grip on Sora, content with never letting him go either.

  
Maybe. Maybe someday.


	2. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio readjust to islander life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still takes place prior to the KH2 Secret ending. Point of view is shifted from this chapter up to chapter 6 to Riku. Sora’s narrative will return in the final chapter.

Being back on Destiny Islands is weird for everyone involved. 

The locals seemed to accept Sora, Riku, and Kairi’s return from The World That Never Was as well as anyone could, with some mild distance and polite smiles. To their faces it was almost as if the two boy’s hadn’t been missing for a few years. Like everyone hadn’t suddenly remembered that Sora existed right around the time Kairi went missing a few months back.  Riku’s family seemed to have disappeared with the islands when the world fell to darkness. Now his home is a big empty beach side condo that’s been gathering dust. It’s not so different from when they were actually here.

Sora’s mother didn’t seem to react too well to a son she forgot she had ever had appearing out of thin air. Likewise Sora was unsure of how to go about being in a house that no longer felt like a home. Kairi had apparently been dropped from the school record for missing several months worth of school. The Mayor, wanting to maintain a “happy home” life, kindly reminded her that he was looking after her the goodness of his heart and didn’t appreciate her vanishing out of thin air. She promptly went to her room and packed up her things.

This is how the three of them somehow wound up moving all of Kairi’s stuff in a spare room in a house that now was in Riku’s possession. Sora moved in shortly after her. The last time Riku had been in this house, he was 15 and desperate to get out of here. Now, he’s looking forward to doing whatever he wants with the place. Interior decorating turned out to be an excellent distraction to the fact that he had no idea what to do with himself now. That he had no idea how to relax after almost 3 years of constant alertness.  He began picking out matching throw pillows and a coordinated rug for the living room online. Sora had rolled his eyes and simply said,  _ “of course you’re good at this too.”  _

The condo runs on it own generator and rainwater tank, along with a connection to the town’s plumbing and sewage.  There was no need to contact anyone for that to be turned back on. They wouldn’t have to worry about paying for water or electricity. Riku wasn’t quite sure what remained of his Father’s money, or if he even had access to it. After a day of doing nothing but cleaning the place up with Sora and Kairi, he voiced his concerns to Kairi.

“So at best,” Riku fiddles with the braided end of his hair, “Sora and I have only a little of year one high school curriculum under our belts. And Kairi, you’re almost done with your education, right?”

Kairi snorts behind the handkerchief covering her nose and mouth, the bun on the top of her head bobbing.  She is kneeling on the back counter of their U- shaped kitchen, that’s flushed against the wall. “Are you telling me that I have to the breadwinner in the house Riku?” She flourishes her long duster up into the air, “That little ol’ me is gonna have to get a job to support her beloved boys?”

Riku leans his mop against the wall, “I mean… yeah. At least until Sora and I catch up to you. We need munny to live day to day.”

She’s quiet for a moment then goes back dusting out the kitchen cabinets. The dishware all sitting out on the recently cleaned kitchen island. 

“Ahhh, it’s nice being ahead of you two for once.” Her voice holds no emotion. 

She closes the cabinet and hops off the counter.  “But I still need to catch up on school work… and actually graduate to get a well paying job. And … not to mention catching up to you two on keyblade tricks.”

Sora slides in across the tile floor on his socks. “I heard keyblade tricks!” The broom he’s holding has cobwebs on its bristles and is sitting lengthwise on his shoulders, his arms resting up on the bar. “And also munny.”

Riku smiles at Sora, “I don’t know if I even have access to my dad’s funds right now.  As far as munny goes... we need it  to get food and clothes.”

Sora laughs, “Oh don’t worry about that! I’ll cover things until we get jobs!”

Kairi stares at Sora, “Sora, do you have munny?”

“Well, Donald and Goofy let me keep the munny we earned on the trip after we parted ways. Something about them already getting a royal salary and all. I was kinda a penny pincher when it came to buying stuff.” He swings the broom around an arm and rests it on his shoulders again walking over to Riku and Kairi. 

“Unless it was armor, just kinda seemed like a waste to buy potions and ethers when heartless kept dropping them.” He gives a dopey-grin, “I’ve got, like, a million munny on me right now.”

Kairi drops her duster.

“Maybe more?”

Riku clears his throat, “W-well, uh…”

“OH HELL YEAH!” Both boys heads whip towards Kairi, “SORA IS THE MUNNY MAKER, FUCK SCHOOL!” Things devolve from there as Kairi leans over to into Sora’s personal space.

“Does this mean we can go shopping?”

“Yea-”

“Great!! Oh my god we really need shampoo, and laundry soap, we can't take showers without washing those stored towles first.”

“Oka-”

“And food! Oh, I should make a grocery list of stuff to get, there is literally nothing to eat in the pantry. Riku do you still like to snack on those mini sweet yams? You do? Great! I know Sora, you like your potato chips, we’ll get a bag of those too. 

“Oh, we should get eggs for breakfast tomorrow too! would you two be okay with me getting a small box of doughnuts, this is a celebration night. Oh, we should make something nice for dinner!! To christen the kitchen! No, what we really need-”  

An overwhelmed Sora shoots Riku a pleading look.

Riku laughs and enjoys this moment. 

“Oh!”  That draws his attention back to the two of them. The grin on Kairi’s face grows bigger, “if I’m not going to school then I can focus on getting stronger and catching up to you two again!”

Sora blinks, “What do you mean?” 

Riku makes his way over to them. “I guess that’s true. While you did spar with us when we were little, we’ve got more experience than you in fighting.”

Sora beams, “Are we gonna teach Kairi to use her keyblade?”

Riku glances at her, “That’s what you’re asking right? Even though the fighting is over now?”

Kairi pulls the handkerchief down so it sits around her neck. “I’m not asking, I’m demanding.” Sora and Riku exchange a look, and she frowns. 

“There were plenty of times, even after I got my keyblade that Riku could have helped out more in battle, but had to defend me.” She tugs a bit more on the cloth so it comes off her neck. Her expression turning somber, eyes on the ground.

“I don’t know how to hold my own in a real fight… I may have shown up but I don’t want to hold you both back again like that.” She looks back up to the, standing straight and squaring her shoulders. “So teach me. Teach me so I can stand at your side and fight with you both.”

Surprisingly, Sora finds his voice before him. “It’s not going to be easy.” She holds her ground, so Sora continues. “You’re going to ache, have magic backlash, and calluses peeling on your hands.” 

“Then it will be proof that I can be together with you two again.”

It’s quiet for a moment, then, Riku nods. “Okay, then let’s make the grand dining room our new training area.” Kairi’s posture relaxes and Sora grins. It’s not like they had anything better to do anyway. Not until The King sends for them a gummi ship like he promised.

“Oh this is exciting! I wonder how you’ll hold your keyblade!!”  Sora twirls the broom again, “Maybe you’ll hold it like Riku!” He sticks his elbow up in the air, feet shoulder width apart, left hand positioned palm up. “Come,” his voice is two octaves lower, “Master Kairi!”

“I do  _ not _ sound like that.”

Kairi giggles, “You kind of do, Riku, you’re so serious.”

“I am not.”

“You were telling me to get a job to support you both 5 minutes ago.”

“...Okay, fair enough.” 

“Oh, what if she holds it like me!” Sora drops down to his combat stance, feet apart, both hands on the grip of the broom like a baseball bat up in the air.

Kairi shrugs, “I could hold it backhanded.”

Riku blinks, “Backhanded? How would that work?”

Sora pouts for a moment, “I wonder if…” He let’s go of the broom handle so only one hand is holding it. Then he twirls it so the handle spins on back of his hand, suddenly grabbing it closer to the end with the majority of boom, bristles and all, behind him. “Like that?”

Kairi stares, “You’re too good at this. I’m not holding it like that anymore.”

“Hey!”

Riku smiles,  “Sora’s gotten that good because he’s practiced so much. I remember at the beginning of his  journey, this time around, he was fumbling a lot. But he kept getting back up again.” He looks off to the distance; out the giant glass, two story, window wall facing the ocean. “He never let the loss of his skills get to him, and would get  _ so _ happy when he remembered an advanced spell. He just kept pushing forward, despite the setbacks and the odds that he faced… It was inspiring.

“Even when he heard you were kidnapped, Kairi. Or that I might be with the Organization, he stayed positive and kept going. Choosing to believe that we were safe and searching endlessly. He was worried but never gave into despair, because in his heart he knew we were okay. He’s just capable to believing in so much good that he knows he can make it happen. That he would see us home again safe and sound. His heart full of love and light…

“It something I’ve always admired about you Sora. Your heart, is your guiding key.”

There’s a clatter and Riku turns his head to look back at the sound.  Sora had dropped the broom, his jaw open and full face blushing. Even his ears were tinted red. Kairi takes one look at Riku’s surprise, then Sora’s gaping mouth and moves into action.

Kairi grabs the incoherent Sora’s shoulders, spins him around quickly, pushing him towards the door. “We’re going shopping, okay Riku?”

“Wha-”

“Okay! Cool! Cool! Hang tight, we’ll be back!” The door closes, leaving Riku alone in the house. 

“What did I say?”


	3. The Second Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breaking the new home. Emphasis on “breaking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still takes place prior to the KH2 Secret ending. Still Riku’s POV. Still got the best Beta in the universe, who left tons of eye emojis all over the comments for this chapter.

The house feels more like a home now that it’s just the three of them. Even if it is too big,  meant for far more people, they somehow manage to fill it with their voices and their light. The dining room turned training room is just a long rectangle shape with a nice chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Well, it had been, up until a moment ago.

While Kairi had already moved on to a mid-level Fira and Bizzara spells—she was scary good with magic—her aero spells lacked control. Her spell had flown up into the air and effectively obliterated the crystal decorated light source. With the sun already setting, Riku suggested they call it quits for a day. 

“Yeah…”Kairi stares at where the chandelier used to be. “That’s probably for the best.”

As she leaves the room to hit the shower, Riku takes a detour to towards kitchen. It’s Sora’s turn to cook and sure enough there he is, in his tank top and bright red shorts. He’s wearing a ridiculous apron Kairi had bought that says “20% Stud 80% muffin” on the front. There are some chopped up bell peppers and onion slices on the counter, and a rice cooker steaming off to the side.

“Ugh,” Sora turns around. “Dude, Riku, I can smell your sweat from here.” Riku can feel it running down the back of his neck too. 

“My hair makes me hotter.”

Sora smirks, “You're damn right it does.”Riku feels his face heat up from a moment and decides to deflect. 

“What, no ‘kiss the cook’ apron today?”

Sora scrunches his nose, “That apron is retired on your training days. Your kisses may be sweet, but your scent is toxic.”

“You never complain when you’re training with me.”

“That’s because I can’t smell it over my own sweat.”

It’s quiet for a moment, as Riku watches Sora crush a garlic clove with the flat of a knife. Sora glances back up at him, then back down to peel the clove out of its skin. 

“I’ll have you know, I’m getting better at cooking and don’t need to be monitored.”

“I know,” Riku moves closer to the kitchen island and leans on it . Sora wrinkles his nose a bit has he gets closer, but he ignores it, simply enjoying watching Sora in their kitchen. It feels homey.

“But I also remember that you microwaved tinfoil-”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME-”

“-and then Kairi tired to put out the fire with a blizzard spell-”

From down the hall he hears, “HEY IT WORKED DIDN’T IT?”

Riku yells back down,  “-AND THEN WE HAD TO ORDER PIZZA.”

They both shout, “IT WAS GOOD PIZZA!!” despite Sora being right next to him and Kairi being in her bedroom. Riku chuckles to himself.

"Yeah well, just you watch Reeekuuuuu, one day I'll make you a fancy dinner that's so great, it'll be as explosive as a Firaga spell!"

"I really hope if doesn't make me explosive."

Kairi’s voice is heard again, “I DON'T WANT DIARRHEA, SORA!”

Sora looks down right scandalized, "DUDE."

The chuckle that had slipped out returned as full blown laughter now.

"Shut up!" There was a smack to his shoulder, "just you watch, it'll be the bomb dot com!"

"God," he gasped, "no."

There was another smack. “Go shower you stinky boy.”

-

After a chicken stir fry dinner,  _ “I told you I was getting better” _ —Kairi had retired to her room. The two of them find themselves sitting in the living room; Riku with a cup of decaf tea and Sora with just some water. The drinks sit long forgotten on the coffee table. They had opened the giant windows to let the sound of the low tide into the house. 

Sora had dragged the ottomen of the sofa up to the end of it, making it longer for both of them to stretch their legs out. No lights are on, only the moonlight from the windows illuminates the room. Their legs are tangled together, both of them on their sides facing each other. Riku pulls his lips away from Sora’s from a moment to breathe again. 

It’s only for a moment, because the soft blush on Sora’s face coupled with the deep color on his lips from kissing is enticing. His closed eyes flutter open for a second, and Riku feels like he’s staring into the depths of the sea with how dark they are. Then he leans back in, their lips brushing, eyes closing and  _ god _ Riku can never get enough of kissing Sora. His heart is pounding; from excitement or lack of oxygen, who cares. Sora’s hands are tangled in his hair, and Riku has one arm supporting himself and the other on the back of Sora’s neck. He uses this hand to push Sora closer, who is soon flush against him, and deepens the kiss. Someone gasps, someone else moans, neither are sure who’s was whose.

The next time they pull back Sora rests his forehead against Riku’s and places a hand on his chest to prevent his lips from chasing his again. They take their time to catch their breath, and Riku recognizes that Sora is getting tired. His movements are sluggish in comparison to before, his blinks slower with sleep rather than arousal. 

Riku’s hand drifts from Sora’s neck to his waist, just to hold him there. Sora removes his hand off Riku’s chest, almost caressing it and Riku is really tempted to just start kissing again when Sora speaks.

“Hey Riku?”

“Hmm?”

“...I think my hand is tangled in your hair.”

“...”

“...”

“...how hard were you gripping my hair??”

“Well, you seemed to like it! Plus, I like touching you… It just, it let’s me know you’re here with me. That this is real.”

Riku moves to look at up Sora, he had some how drifted lower than him mid-makeout only to feel a tug and sharp pain at the back of his head. He hisses, “yeah, okay, that’s definitely tangled.” 

“Hang on—”

It takes a minute or so, effectively killing any of the romantic mood prior. Riku is pretty sure he lost a few strands of hair in the process, but Sora’s hand is eventually free. Riku rubs the back of his head, turning so he’s laying on his stomach while Sora rotates onto his back, rubbing his wrist. 

“I think I need a haircut.”

“But you look hot with long hair!”

“It’s getting to the point where it’s inconvenient. These bang’s definitely need to go.”

“Well, it is your hair… I am curious about how you’d look with short hair again.”

Riku thinks for a moment again, “Hey. Sora?”

“What’s up?”

“Do you think… would you cut my hair?”

Sora sits up right, “Me? I’m not exactly a beautician here Riku. Kairi would probably do a better job than me.”

Riku moves to sit up as well, “If you’re not comfortable with it I will. But, I would rather it be you.”

“Why?” 

“Well... my hair grew as long as it did when I was on the run from the Organization. I had decided that I would live with my mistakes, my sins, and somehow my hair kinda became a part of that. Long, dead, and weighing me down.” He hears Sora’s sharp intake of breath and keeps going. 

“But now that it’s all over… and you’ve accepted me and my flaws… I feel like I can start anew. Cut it all way... if that’s alright. It feels right if you cut it and I can leave that part of my history behind me, letting me grow into a new me. Sora, you’ve always been my courage… my light in my darkest hours. I want to be someone who’s earned the right to your heart and stay by your side.”

Riku looks Sora in eyes and waits for his response.  Even in the moonlight, his eyes are still beautiful. It’s as if someone took pieces of the sky, just plucked them out, and put them in the boy before him. He feels his heart ache for a bit, remembering waiting for Sora. For him to wake up, worrying that he would never see those eyes again.

Sora eventually leans forward, resting their foreheads together again. He takes a deep breath. Then lets it out. 

“Of course I will. I’ll cut your hair.”

Riku feels himself relax and closes his eyes.

“Thank you.”


End file.
